Oregon Coast Travel: Mythical Monster of Manzanita Explained

Published 02/06/2011

By Andre Hagestedt

(Manzanita, Oregon) – Another night on the Oregon coast, another mythical beast encountered.

Perhaps it's a product of road-weary eyes from having traveled here from Portland earlier in the evening. Perhaps it had more to do with the night’s carousing at the local bars of the Nehalem Bay area.

It’s summer of 2005, and Manzanita is about as bustling as this tiny town can get – which isn’t much. A few drinks were had at places like San Dune Pub, and probably somewhere else. And I decide to wander the beach at, oh, something like 3 a.m.

This is nothing new. I love the beach at night and firmly maintain it’s a pleasure that’s not savored enough by those who visit the coast. It’s a different world at this time. I am the patron saint of Telling People to Also Go to the Beach at Night.

To reference the gents in Monty Python, I would’ve more expected the Spanish Inquisition than the terrifying visage I encountered in my, well, shall we say “altered state.” Somewhere in the dark of this black beach, silhouetted against the lights a motel casts on the waves, is a strange, dragon-like shape. I edge closer and closer, inspecting it ever more slowly. I get the chills just a bit.

Sure enough, some twisted, demonic shape juts upward from the sand, in a kind of ready-to-pounce position. I illuminate this creepy creature with the light from my digital camera, and it does not move – thankfully. But its features become clear: a long, thin and craggy body, with a head somewhere between a horse and an evil giraffe. There’s probably a horrific number of teeth lurking in various rows inside that pointed snout. Surely there are.

I quickly take shots of it, and then run. It does not give chase. With some distance between me and the vile specter, I examine the photos, and seems it has set the world behind it on fire.

So that’s its plan.

The following afternoon, beneath the safe light of day, I venture back to the beach to see what it had done.

Oops. It turns out it was just a pile of driftwood. Oops.

That’s it halfway to the tide line.

The Real Story? Yes, there was some booze involved, and yes I did get a little spooked upon approaching it. But what I couldn’t figure out for the longest time was if someone had deliberately created this illusion – at least from this angle? Or if it was just an accident of someone propping up a log?

Recently I bumped into this photo again in my computer, and upon closer inspection noticed some creative mind had pieced two logs together. Brilliant.

The moral of this story? Keep wandering the beaches. You never know what you’ll find. Surprises are lurking everywhere. Sometimes the wonders are manmade – sometimes they’re not.

Also – let me say it again – venture onto the Oregon coast at night every once in a while. Take in this rather odd, sometimes even unsettling atmosphere. Keep safety foremost in mind, however. Stay away from the waves. But a broad, sandy beach, where you’re quite a ways from the tide, will yield some fascinating sights.

Manzanita and the Big Dipper.

Especially if you like spooking yourself just a little bit, it’s fun. But beyond that, the pleasures and discoveries can be dumbfounding. If the sky is clear you’re likely to see lots of shooting stars, no matter what time of year. The surf lit up by hotel lights is engaging to watch, especially coupled with the presence of fishing boats zipping around the horizon.

I could go on. But I won’t. The delightful creation is simply further proof the Oregon coast has got a lot more than meets the eye – if you just keep your eyes open. Whether it’s Cannon Beach, Seaside, Yachats, Pacific City, North Bend or wherever: just keep your eyes and your mind open.

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